Families and Communities Program Peak Bodies - Settlement Services

Guidelines

Opening date: 2 August 2018

Closing time and date: 2:00 PM AEST on 30 August 2018

Commonwealth policy entity:

Department of Social Services

Enquiries: If you have any questions, please contact the Community Grants Hub:

Phone: 1800 020 283 or

Email: support@communitygrants.gov.au

Date guidelines released: 2 August 2018

Type of grant opportunity: Restricted non-competitive

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Contents 1. Families and Communities Program: Peak Bodies - Settlement Services

Processes 4

1.1 Role of the Community Grants Hub 5

1.2 About the grant program 5

1.3 About the Peak Bodies - Settlement Services grant opportunity 6

1.4 Peak Bodies - Settlement Services outcomes 7

2. Grant amount 7

3. Grant eligibility criteria 8

3.1 Who is eligible to apply for a grant? 8

3.2 Who is not eligible to apply for a grant? 9

4. Eligible grant activities 9

4.1 What can the grant money be used for? 9

4.2 What the grant money cannot be used for? 10

5. The grant selection process 11

5.1 Financial viability assessment 11

6. The assessment criterion 11

7. The grant application process 12

7.1 Overview of application process 12

7.2 Application process timing 12

7.3 Completing the grant application 13

7.4 Attachment to the application form 14

7.5 Questions during the application process 14

8. Assessment of grant applications 14

8.1 Who will assess applications? 14

8.2 Who will approve grants? 15

9. Notification of application outcomes 15

9.1 Feedback on your application 15

10. Successful grant applications 16

10.1 The grant agreement 16

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10.2 How the grant will be paid 16

10.3 Grant agreement variations 17

11. Announcement of grants 17

12. Delivery of grant activities 17

12.1 Your responsibilities 17

12.2 The Department of Social Services’ responsibilities 18

12.3 Grant payments and GST 18

12.4 Reporting 18

12.5 Evaluation 18

12.6 Acknowledgement 19

12.7 Multicultural Access and Equity 19

13. Probity 19

13.1 Complaints process 19

13.2 Conflict of interest 20

13.3 Privacy: confidentiality and protection of personal information 21

13.4 Freedom of information 22

14. Glossary 23

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1. Families and Communities Program: Peak Bodies - Settlement Services Processes

The Program is designed to achieve Australian Government objectives

This grant opportunity is part of the above Grant Program, which contributes to the Department of Social Service’s Outcome 2: Families and Communities. The Department of Social Services works with stakeholders to plan and design the Grant Program according to

the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines.

The grant opportunity opens

We publish the grant guidelines and advertise on the GrantConnect and Community Grants Hub websites.

You complete and submit a grant application

You must read these grant guidelines before you submit your application. Further information can be found on GrantConnect. Note: any addenda for this grant opportunity will be

published on GrantConnect, and by registering on this website you will be automatically notified of any changes.

We assess all grant applications

We assess the applications against eligibility criteria and notify you if you are not eligible. We then assess your application against the assessment criterion, including an overall

consideration of value for money.

We make grant recommendations

We provide advice to the decision maker on the merits of each application.

Grant Decisions are made

The decision maker decides which grant applications are successful.

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We notify you of the outcome

We advise you of the outcome of your application. We may not notify unsuccessful applicants until grant agreements have been executed with successful applicants.

We enter into a grant agreement

We will enter into a grant agreement with successful applicants. The type of grant agreement is based on the nature of the grant and is proportional to the risks involved.

Delivery of grant

You undertake the grant activity as set out in your grant agreement. We manage the grant by working with you, monitoring your progress and making payments.

Evaluation of Peak Bodies - Settlement Services

We evaluate the specific grant activity and the program as a whole. We base this on information you provide to us and information that we collect from various sources.

1.1 Role of the Community Grants Hub The Community Grants Hub will administer this grant opportunity on behalf of the Department of Social Services (Department) under a Whole-of-Australian Government initiative to streamline grant processes across agencies.

1.2 About the grant program The Families and Communities Program aims to strengthen relationships, support families, improve children’s wellbeing, reduce the costs of family breakdown and increase participation in community life to strengthen family and community functioning. The program provides a range of services focussed on strengthening relationships, building parenting and financial management skills, and providing support for better community connections, as well as services to help newly arrived migrants in their transition to life in Australia.

Settlement Services forms part of the Families and Communities Program and provides a comprehensive range of activities that aim to address the needs of refugees, humanitarian entrants and other vulnerable migrants by delivering services that assist them to become fully functioning members of society and promote social cohesion and productive diversity within the Australian Community.

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Settlement Services consists of multiple components, which are illustrated in the diagram below.

Figure 1 Settlement Services from 2019

The Program will be undertaken in accordance with the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines 2017 (CGRGs).

1.3 About the Peak Bodies - Settlement Services grant opportunity

These guidelines contain information for the Peak Bodies - Settlement Services grants, which form part of Settlement Services under the Department’s Families and Communities Program.

Peak Bodies - Settlement Services supports peak bodies to represent the settlement and community sectors to government. Peak body services include, but are not limited to, providing advice on policy and program development, sharing information and best practice across the sector, and promotion of issues on behalf of members. Peak bodies also communicate settlement services related information from government across the settlement sector.

Department of Socal Services

Families and CommunitiesOutcome 2

Settlement Services

Grants for Community Settlement

Settlement Engagement

and Transition Support -

Client Services

Youth Transition Support (YTS)

Peak Bodies - Settlement

Services

Career Pathways

Pilot

National Community

Hubs Program

National Accreditation Authority for Translators

and Interpreters

Settlement Engagement

and Transition Support -

Community Capacity Building

Humanitarian Settlement Program

Free Translating Services

The Australian Cultural Orientation Program

Free Interpreting Services

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This document sets out:

• the purpose of the grant opportunity

• the eligibility criteria and assessment criterion

• how grant applications are checked and assessed

• responsibilities and expectations in relation to the opportunity. You must read this document before filling out an application.

1.4 Peak Bodies - Settlement Services outcomes The objective of Peak Bodies - Settlement Services is to provide government with comprehensive cross-sector intelligence, evidence and advice on all settlement-related activities. The peak bodies provide holistic policy advice to government and on behalf of government to support the settlement sector achieve settlement outcomes including fostering social participation, economic well-being, independence, personal well-being and community connectedness. The outcomes will be achieved through improving and better targeting services being offered to humanitarian entrants, refugees and other vulnerable migrants (including English, Employment, Education and Training, Housing, Health and Wellbeing, Transport, Civic Participation, Family and Social Support and Justice). Settlement Services peak bodies contribute to the research and evidence base for government to use to ensure effective program delivery.

2. Grant amount A total of up to $4,540,643.10 (GST exclusive) over three-and-a-half years is available for this grant opportunity, starting in January 2019 until 30 June 2022.

The Department will offer three-and-a-half year grant agreements to existing service providers. The amount of grant funding on offer to each service provider is set out in Table 1.

Table 1: Funding amounts on offer to eligible applicants

Entity name Total grant funding amount up to (GST excl.)

Centre for Multicultural Youth $1,773,737.00

Migration Council Australia $1,809,285.80

Settlement Council of Australia Inc. $ 957,620.30

Social and Community Services (SACS) supplementation

On 1 February 2012, Fair Work Australia, now known as the Fair Work Commission (FWC), made a decision to increase wages in the social and community services sector from 1 December 2012.

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This decision affects workers who are employed under the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 (SACS Modern Award). Specifically, the decision affects those workers classified under the following Schedules:

• Schedule B – Classification Definitions - Social and Community Services Employees

• Schedule C – Classification Definitions - Crisis Accommodation Employees.

On 22 June 2012, a Full Bench of Fair Work Australia issued the Equal Remuneration Order, providing wage increases ranging from about 23 to 45 per cent, to be phased-in over nine annual instalments from 1 December 2012 to 1 December 2020, including a 4 per cent loading, payable over the same phasing period. Social and Community Services (SACS) supplementation ceases on 30 June 2021.

Applicants applying for funding under Peak Bodies - Settlement Services should note that SACS supplementation for eligible providers will be included in the fixed funding amount being offered and will not be paid on top of, or in addition to, the grant amount offered. SACS supplementation will be provided for each year of funding offered until 30 June 2021 when SACS supplementation ceases.

Further information regarding the SACS decision, Equal Remuneration Order and Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 can be found on the Fair Work Commission website.

3. Grant eligibility criteria We cannot consider your application if it does not meet all of the eligibility criteria.

3.1 Who is eligible to apply for a grant? To be eligible to apply for this grant, your entity must be a service provider that is currently delivering Peak Bodies - Settlement Services and must have received an invitation to apply through GrantConnect. Table 2 identifies all entities that are eligible to apply.

Table 2: Entities eligible to apply for Peak Bodies - Settlement Services

Entity Name ABN

Centre for Multicultural Youth 82 127 444 713

Migration Council Australia 81 158 840 325

Settlement Council of Australia Inc. 27 983 821 157

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Only existing service providers delivering Peak Bodies - Settlement Services are invited to apply for this grant opportunity on the basis that these providers:

• have a demonstrated ability to fulfil their roles and responsibilities to a high standard under Peak Bodies - Settlement Services

• are high-performing, community-based organisations with a national scope and relevant experience

• are concerned with settlement issues of relevance to the needs of migrants, humanitarian entrants and refugees, particularly in relation to family and/or community services

• have processes and/or partnerships in place to effectively represent their members’ views, reflected in their reporting and communication channels, financial resources, external credibility, and internal accountability requirements

• act as a conduit for information flow between the Government, their members, the not-for-profit sector, the business community, philanthropic organisations, culturally and linguistically diverse communities and research bodies, drawing together views on issues of relevance to their memberships and providing a consultative mechanism for the Department

• work to enhance the effectiveness of service delivery through sector development activities

• have a focus on policy development and advice.

No other organisations will be invited to apply.

3.2 Who is not eligible to apply for a grant? An organisation is not eligible to apply for this grant opportunity if it is not identified in Table 2.

The Department will not consider any applications submitted by ineligible organisations.

4. Eligible grant activities

4.1 What can the grant money be used for? You can use the grant to pay for:

• Staff salaries and on-costs that can be directly attributed to the provision of Peak Bodies - Settlement Services in the identified service area or areas as per the grant agreement.

• Employee training for paid and unpaid staff including Committee and Board members, that is relevant, appropriate and in line with Peak Bodies - Settlement Services.

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• Operating and administration expenses directly related to the delivery of Peak Bodies - Settlement Services, such as:

– telephones

– rent and outgoings

– computer / IT / website / software

– insurance

– utilities

– postage

– stationery and printing

– accounting and auditing

– domestic economy travel / accommodation costs

– assets, including motor vehicle purchase or lease, that can be directly attributed to meeting agreement deliverables.

You can only spend grant funds on eligible grant activities as defined in the grant details in your grant agreement.

4.2 What the grant money cannot be used for? You cannot use the grant to pay for:

• purchase of land

• major capital expenditure

• the covering of retrospective costs

• costs incurred in the preparation of a grant application or related documentation

• subsidy of general ongoing administration of an organisation such as electricity, phone and rent

• major construction/capital works

• overseas travel

• activities for which other Commonwealth, State, Territory or Local Government bodies have primary responsibility

• specialist counselling services, e.g. torture and trauma counselling

• multicultural events and festivals—these can be applied for under the Department’s Strong and Resilient Communities (SARC) Activity

• services which duplicate those delivered by the Human Settlement Program or other settlement or mainstream services

• services predominantly focused on social cohesion (refer to the Department’s SARC Activity).

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The Department cannot provide a grant if you receive funding from another government source for the same purpose.

5. The grant selection process First we will assess your application against the eligibility criteria set out in Section 3 of this document. Only eligible applications will progress to the next stage. Eligible applications will be considered through a restricted non-competitive grant process.

We will then assess your application against the criterion set out below. Your application will be considered on its merits, based on how well it meets the criterion and whether it provides value for money.

5.1 Financial viability assessment Grant applicants may be subject to financial viability assessments. A financial viability assessment is a risk mitigation process that takes into account the financial position of an applicant and other risk factors related to the quality and reliability of the applicant’s financial information.

To complete these assessments, the Department may request applicants to provide financial statements for the two most recent financial years.

6. The assessment criterion You will need to address the following assessment criterion in your application:

Criterion 1: Outline how your organisation will achieve the objectives of Peak Bodies - Settlement Services, including value for money within the grant funding.

Please consider addressing how your organisation will:

• Provide advice on policy, program development of settlement issues relevant to the needs of migrants, humanitarian entrants and refugees, particularly in relation to family and/or community services.

• Have processes/partnerships in place to collaborate across all elements of the settlement services sector to deliver outcomes.

• Act as a conduit of information between Government, your members/partners, not-for-profit sector, business community, culturally and linguistically diverse communities and research bodies.

The application form limits the length of an applicant’s response to around 900 words.

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7. The grant application process

7.1 Overview of application process You must read these grant guidelines, the application form and the grant agreement’s general grant conditions before you submit an application for this grant opportunity.

The Department will accept only one application per applicant. If an applicant submits more than one application, the Department will accept only the most recent application received by the closing date and time of the grant opportunity.

You are responsible for ensuring that your application is complete and accurate. Giving false or misleading information will exclude your application from further consideration.

To be considered for a grant, you must address the assessment criterion, otherwise your application will not progress to assessment. Please complete each section of the application form and make sure that you provide the information that we have requested.

Please keep a copy of your application and any supporting documents.

7.2 Application process timing Submit your application by the closing time and date identified in Table 3.

If an application is late, or an applicant requests the Community Grants Hub to approve the lodgement of an application after the closing time and date, the Community Grants Hub may determine that there were exceptional circumstances beyond the applicant’s control that meant they could not submit an application by the closing time and date. Examples of exceptional circumstances could include, but may not be limited to:

• Community Grants Hub infrastructure failures

• natural disasters

• power outages affecting the ability of the applicant to submit their application by the deadline

• death or disability of key personnel.

Information on the Community Grants Hub late applications policy is available on the Community Grants Hub website.

The expected commencement date of the grant activities is 1 January 2019 and the expected completion date is 30 June 2022. You must spend the grant by the completion date.

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Table 3: Expected timing for this grant opportunity

Activity Timeframe

Application period Opens: 2 August 2018 Closes: 2:00 PM AEST 30 August 2018

Assessment of applications 2 weeks

Approval of outcomes of selection process 2 weeks

Notifications to unsuccessful applicants 2 weeks

Negotiations and award of grant agreements Up to 6 weeks

Activity commences 01/2019

Completion date 30/06/2022

7.3 Completing the grant application You must submit your grant application using the application form, which is available on the GrantConnect website. The application form can be accessed only by invitees to this grant opportunity. The application form includes help information to assist applicants complete and submit their applications.

The application form is an online form that you must submit electronically. If you have any technical difficulties please contact 1800 020 283 or email support@communitygrants.gov.au.

The Community Grants Hub will not provide or accept application forms by fax or mail.

You must make sure that your application is complete, accurate and submitted by the closing time and date.

If you find a mistake in your application after submitting it, you should contact the Community Grants Hub as soon as possible by phone on 1800 020 283 or by email at support@communitygrants.gov.au. The Community Grants Hub may ask you for more information as long as it does not change the substance of your application. The Community Grants Hub does not have to accept any additional information or any requests from applicants to correct applications after the closing time and date.

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7.4 Attachment to the application form You must attach a budget to your application form. The budget should include (per financial year and rounded to the nearest dollar):

• line items relating to staff salaries (including SACS wage costs) and on-costs for the grant activity

• line items relating to operational and administration expenses (including, if required, costs of translating and interpreting services and other requirements for ensuring accessibility)

• line items relating to other expenses related to the grant activity

• sub-totals for these three categories of expenses

• a total amount for all expenses.

A budget template is available as part of the grant opportunity documentation on GrantConnect.

Your budget must be attached to the application form. The application form contains instructions to help you.

Please note: There is a 2 MB limit for each attachment.

7.5 Questions during the application process The Community Grants Hub will only respond to questions from invited applicants during the application period. If you’re an invited applicant and you have a question, please call the Community Grants Hub on 1800 020 283 or email support@communitygrants.gov.au. The Community Grants Hub will respond to emailed questions within five working days. Answers to questions will be posted on GrantConnect and are only accessible to invited applicants.

The question period will close at 5:00 PM AEST on 23 August 2018. Following this time and date, only questions relating to using and/or submitting the application form will be answered.

8. Assessment of grant applications

8.1 Who will assess applications? An assessment team will assess all eligible and compliant applications based on their merits. The assessment team will consist of departmental staff. The assessment team will undertake training to ensure consistent assessment of all applications.

If the selection process identifies unintentional errors in your application, the Community Grants Hub may contact your entity to correct or explain the information.

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8.2 Who will approve grants? The decision maker (Delegate) for this grant opportunity is the Branch Manager of the Department’s Settlement and Integration Policy Branch. The Delegate will make the final decision to approve a grant, having regards to:

• the overall objectives of the program

• how the grant activity will be delivered

• value for money.

The Delegate may seek information about your entity or its application. The Delegate may do this from within the Commonwealth, even if the sources are not nominated by you as referees. The Delegate may also consider information about your entity or its application that is available through the Department’s normal course of business.

The Delegate’s decision is final in all matters, including the:

• approval of the grant

• grant funding amount to be awarded

• terms and conditions of the grant.

The Delegate must not approve funding if they reasonably consider the program funding available across financial years will not accommodate the funding offer and/or the application does not represent value for money.

There is no appeal mechanism for decisions to approve or not approve a grant.

9. Notification of application outcomes Following the Delegate’s decision, your entity will be advised in writing of the outcome of its application. If your application is successful, the Department will also advise you of any specific conditions attached to the grant.

9.1 Feedback on your application The Department will only offer individual feedback to invitees that are unsuccessful.

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10. Successful grant applications

10.1 The grant agreement If your entity is successful and chooses to accept a grant offer, you must enter into a legally binding grant agreement with the Commonwealth represented by the Department of Social Services. The Department will use the Commonwealth Simple Grant Agreement. Terms and conditions for the grant agreement will apply and cannot be changed. A schedule may be used to outline the specific grant requirements. Any additional conditions attached to the grant will be identified in the grant offer or during grant agreement negotiations. You will be required to deliver the grant activity and meet the Activity Work Plan requirements, performance reporting requirements and financial acquittal requirements outlined in your grant agreement.

The Department of Social Services will negotiate agreements with successful applicants. If there are unreasonable delays in finalising a grant agreement, the grant offer may be withdrawn.

If a grantee fails to meet the obligations of the grant agreement, the Department of Social Services may seek to shorten the grant funding period, withhold payment until the issue is resolved and/or terminate the agreement.

You should not make financial commitments related to this grant until a grant agreement has been executed by the Commonwealth.

10.2 How the grant will be paid The grant agreement will state the:

• requirements for delivering Peak Bodies - Settlement Services

• performance indicators

• the payment amount and milestones

• reporting milestones

• financial acquittal requirements.

The Department will make an initial payment on the date shown in your grant agreement when the grant agreement has been executed. The Department will then make six-monthly payments on the dates shown in your grant agreement.

The Department will not exceed the maximum grant amount under any circumstances. If you incur extra eligible expenditure, you must pay it yourself.

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10.3 Grant agreement variations We recognise that unexpected events may affect the progress of a grant activity. In these circumstances, your entity can request a grant variation.

If you want to propose changes to the grant agreement, you must put them in writing before the grant agreement end date. Contact your Grant Agreement manager for further information. We will not consider changes after the grant agreement end date.

You should not assume that a variation request will be successful. We will consider your request based on factors such as:

• how it affects the project outcome

• consistency with the program policy objective and any relevant policies of the Department

• changes to the timing of grant payments

• availability of program funds.

11. Announcement of grants If successful, your grant will be listed on GrantConnect no later than 21 calendar days after the date of effect as required by Section 5.3 of the CGRGs.

12. Delivery of grant activities

12.1 Your responsibilities You must submit reports in line with the timeframes in the grant agreement. We will expect you to report on:

• progress against an agreed Activity Work Plan

• meet twice per year with the Department to discuss the activity, including your progress and achievements against the agreed Activity Work Plan

• eligible expenditure of grant funds.

You will also be responsible for:

• meeting the terms and conditions of the grant agreement and managing the activity efficiently and effectively

• complying with record keeping, reporting and acquittal requirements as set out in the grant agreement

• participating in a grant program evaluation as specified in the grant agreement.

Grant recipients must comply with all relevant Commonwealth and state/territory legislation and regulations, including, but not limited to:

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• The Privacy Act 1988 (Commonwealth) in preforming the obligations outlined in the Grant Agreement

• Racial Discrimination Act 1975

• Sex Discrimination Act 1984

• The Copyright Act 1968 in regards to undertaking the activity

• The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Commonwealth)

• Any applicable Occupational Health and Safety and Equal Employment Opportunity laws.

12.2 The Department of Social Services’ responsibilities The Department of Social Services will:

• meet the terms and conditions set out in the grant agreement

• provide timely administration of the grant

• evaluate the grantee’s performance.

We will monitor the progress of your project by assessing reports you submit. Occasionally we may need to re-examine claims, seek further information or request an independent audit of claims and payments.

12.3 Grant payments and GST Payments will be made as set out in the grant agreement. Payments will be GST Inclusive.

If you receive a grant, you should consider speaking to a tax advisor about the effect of receiving a grant before you enter into a grant agreement. You can also visit the Australian Taxation Office website for more information.

12.4 Reporting A grant recipient’s reporting requirements will be based on an Activity Work Plan, which forms part of the grant agreement. The Department of Social Services will work together with each grantee to develop an agreed Activity Work Plan.

Grant recipients under Peak Bodies - Settlement Services must have systems in place to allow them to meet their data collection and reporting obligations outlined in their grant agreement.

12.5 Evaluation The Department of Social Services will evaluate Peak Bodies - Settlement Services to measure how well the outcomes and objectives have been achieved. Your grant agreement requires you to provide information to help with this evaluation should it be required.

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12.6 Acknowledgement All publications related to grants under the Program must acknowledge the Commonwealth as follows:

‘This activity received grant funding from the Australian Government.’

12.7 Multicultural Access and Equity Australia’s Multicultural Access and Equity Policy obliges Australian government agencies to ensure their policies, programs and services (including those conducted by contractors and service delivery partners) are accessible to, and deliver equitable outcomes for, people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. For further information on the Multicultural Access and Equity Policy please refer to the Department of Home Affairs website. Grant applicants should consider how they will ensure their services will be accessible to people from CALD backgrounds. For example, service delivery partners may require cultural competency skills in order to engage with CALD clients. Services, projects, activities or events may require the use of professional translating or interpreting services in order to communicate with clients who have limited English proficiency. Based on an assessment of the client target group, costs for translating and interpreting services - and other requirements for ensuring accessibility (if required) - should be factored into grant applications. The Australian Government Language Services Guidelines on the Department of Social Services website may also assist grant recipients implement language services for their clients.

13. Probity The Australian Government will make sure that the program process is fair, according to the published guidelines, incorporates appropriate safeguards against fraud, unlawful activities and other inappropriate conduct and is consistent with the CGRGs.

Note: These guidelines may be changed from time-to-time by the Department of Social Services. When this happens the revised guidelines will be published on the GrantConnect and the Community Grants Hub websites.

13.1 Complaints process Complaints about the Program The Department of Social Services Complaints Procedures apply to complaints about Peak Bodies - Settlement Services. All complaints about a grant process must be lodged in writing.

Any questions you have about grant decisions for Peak Bodies - Settlement Services should be sent to support@communitygrants.gov.au.

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Complaints about the Process

Applicants can contact the complaints service with complaints about Community Grants Hub’s service(s) or the application process.

Details of what constitutes an eligible complaint can be provided upon request by the Community Grants Hub. Applicants can lodge complaints using the complaints form on the Department’s website or by phone or mail. Phone: 1800 634 035 Mail: Complaints

GPO Box 9820 Canberra ACT 2601

Complaints to the Ombudsman

If you do not agree with the way the Department of Social Services has handled your complaint, you may complain to the Commonwealth Ombudsman. The Ombudsman will not usually look into a complaint unless the matter has first been raised directly with the Department of Social Services.

The Commonwealth Ombudsman can be contacted on:

Phone (Toll free): 1300 362 072 Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.au Website: Commonwealth Ombudsman

13.2 Conflict of interest Any conflicts of interest could affect the performance of the grant. There may be a conflict of interest, or perceived conflict of interest, if relevant departmental and Community Grants Hub staff, any member of a committee or advisor and/or you or any of your personnel has a:

• professional, commercial or personal relationship with a party who is able to influence the application selection process, such as an Australian Government officer

• relationship with an organisation, or in an organisation, which is likely to interfere with or restrict the applicants from carrying out the proposed activities fairly and independently, or

• relationship with, or interest in, an organisation from which they will receive personal gain because the organisation receives funding under the Program.

You will be asked to declare, as part of your application, any perceived or existing conflicts of interests or that, to the best of your knowledge, there is no conflict of interest.

If you later identify that there is an actual, apparent, or potential conflict of interest or that one might arise in relation to a grant application, you must inform the Department of Social Services and the Community Grants Hub in writing immediately. Committee members and other officials including the decision maker must also declare any conflicts of interest.

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The Delegate will be made aware of any conflicts of interest and will handle them as set out in Australian Government policies and procedures. Conflicts of interest for Australian Government staff will be handled as set out in the Australian Public Service Code of Conduct (Section 13(7)) of the Public Service Act 1999. We publish our conflict of interest policy available on the Community Grant Hub website.

13.3 Privacy: confidentiality and protection of personal information

We treat your personal information according to the 13 Australian Privacy Principles and the Privacy Act 1988. This includes letting you know:

• what personal information we collect

• why we collect your personal information

• who we give your personal information to

You are required, as part of your application, to declare your ability to comply with the Privacy Act 1988, including the Australian Privacy Principles and impose the same privacy obligations on any subcontractors you engage to assist with the activity. You must ask for the Australian Government’s consent in writing before disclosing confidential information.

Your personal information can only be disclosed to someone else if you are given reasonable notice of the disclosure; where disclosure is authorised or required by law or is reasonably necessary for the enforcement of the criminal law; if it will prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to a person’s life or health; or if you have consented to the disclosure.

The Australian Government may also use and disclose information about grant applicants and grant recipients under the Program in any other Australian Government business or function. This includes giving information to the Australian Taxation Office for compliance purposes.

We may reveal confidential information to:

• employees and contractors of our department so we can research, assess, monitor and analyse our programs and activities

• employees and contractors of other Commonwealth agencies for any purposes, including government administration, research or service delivery

• other Commonwealth, State, Territory or local government agencies in program reports and consultations

• the Auditor-General, Ombudsman or Privacy Commissioner

• the responsible Minister or Parliamentary Secretary

• a House or a Committee of the Australian Parliament.

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We may share the information you give us with other Commonwealth agencies for any purposes including government administration, research or service delivery and according to Australian laws, including the:

• Public Service Act 1999

• Public Service Regulations 1999

• Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act

• Privacy Act 1988

• Crimes Act 1914

• Criminal Code Act 1995

We’ll treat the information you give us as sensitive and therefore confidential if it meets all of the four conditions below:

1. you clearly identify the information as confidential and explain why we should treat it as confidential

2. the information is commercially sensitive

3. revealing the information would cause unreasonable harm to you or someone else

4. you provide the information with an understanding that it will stay confidential.

The grant agreement will include any specific requirements about special categories of information collected, created or held under the grant agreement.

13.4 Freedom of information All documents in the possession of the Australian Government, including those about the Program, are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).

The purpose of the FOI Act is to give members of the public rights of access to information held by the Australian Government and its entities. Under the FOI Act, members of the public can seek access to documents held by the Australian Government. This right of access is limited only by the exceptions and exemptions necessary to protect essential public interests and private and business affairs of persons in respect of whom the information relates.

All Freedom of Information requests must be referred to the Freedom of Information

Coordinator in writing.

By mail: Freedom of Information Coordinator The Department of Social Services Government and Executive Services Branch GPO Box 9820 Canberra ACT 2601

By email: foi@dss.gov.au

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14. Glossary Term Definition

assessment criteria The specified principles or standards against which applications will be judged. These criteria are also used to assess the merits of proposals and, in the case of a competitive granting activity, to determine applicant rankings.

commencement date The expected start date for the grant activity.

completion date The expected date that the grant activity must be completed and the grant spent by.

Commonwealth entity A Department of State, or a Parliamentary Department, or a listed entity or a body corporate established by a law of the Commonwealth. See subsections 10(1) and (2) of the PGPA Act.

cost shifting Involves ‘substitution of effort’ by the Commonwealth for activities of another organisation or level of government. For example, cost shifting occurs where the Commonwealth provides a grant for an activity that would usually be paid for by a state, territory, or local government, such as municipal services.

date of effect This will depend on the particular grant. It can be the date in which a grant agreement is signed or a specified starting date. Where there is no grant agreement, entities must publish information on individual grants as soon as practicable.

decision maker The person who makes a decision to award a grant.

double dipping Double dipping occurs where a grant recipient is able to obtain a grant for the same project or activity from more than one source.

eligibility criteria The mandatory criteria which must be met to qualify for a grant. Assessment criteria may apply in addition to eligibility criteria.

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Term Definition

grant A grant is an arrangement for the provision of financial assistance by the Commonwealth or on behalf of the Commonwealth: a) under which relevant money or other CRF money, is to be

paid to a grantee other than the Commonwealth b) which is intended to help address one or more of the

Australian Government’s policy outcomes while assisting the grantee achieve its objectives.

grant activity Is the project /tasks /services that the Grantee is required to undertake with the grant money. It is described in the Grant Agreement.

grant agreement A grant agreement sets out the relationship between the parties to the agreement, and specifies the details of the grant.

grant opportunity Refers to the specific grant round or process where a Commonwealth grant is made available to potential grantees. Grant opportunities may be open or targeted, and will reflect the relevant grant selection process.

grant program May be advertised within the ‘Forecast Opportunity’ (FO) section of GrantConnect to provide a consolidated view of associated grant opportunities and provide strategic context for specific grant opportunities

grantee An individual/organisation that has been awarded a grant.

PBS Program Described within the entity’s Portfolio Budget Statement, PBS programs each link to a single outcome and provide transparency for funding decisions. These high level PBS programs often comprise a number of lower level, more publicly recognised programs, some of which will be Grant Programs. A PBS Program may have more than one Grant Program associated with it, and each of these may have one or more grant opportunities.

selection criteria Comprise eligibility criteria and assessment criteria.

selection process The method used to select potential grantees. This process may involve comparative assessment of applications or the assessment of applications against the eligibility criteria and/or the assessment criteria.